Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Apple has released Compressor 4, its compression and encoding application that works with Final Cut Pro.

Compressor adds power and flexibility to Final Cut Pro X export. Customize output settings, work faster with distributed encoding, and tap into a comprehensive set of delivery features.

Powerful Encoding for Final Cut Pro• Use Compressor to customize encoding settings available in Final Cut Pro.• Choose from a wide array of codecs, sizes, frame rates, and other parameters.• Save your custom settings in Compressor; they automatically appear in Final Cut Pro.• Share settings with other editors, even if Compressor isn't installed on their workstations.

Time-Saving Encoding Workflow• Experiment freely with encoding options, using real-time feedback in the Preview window.• Find exactly the setting you need in just a few clicks in the updated settings library.• Set up batch processes to streamline the encoding of large numbers of files.• Build batch templates to combine encoding with tasks such as moving or copying files. • Create self-contained Droplets to encode on the desktop with drag-and-drop ease.

Industry-Standard Encoding Support• Use one-step settings for Apple devices and websites such as Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook.• Work with a choice of themed menus to encode and burn a DVD or Blu-ray disc.• Add chapter markers for discs or podcasts distributed on iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Apple TV.• Encode to a broad range of industry-standard formats, such as MPEG-2, H.264, and ProRes.• Generate files for HTTP live streaming in a single step.• Import Targa, DPX, TIFF, PSD, or PNG image sequences and encode them to any setting.• Tap into advanced encoding features for adding closed captioning, metadata, and more.

Pristine Format Conversions• Convert any file from its source format to another format, such as NTSC to PAL or SD to HD.• Clean up and customize your content using image filters, a timecode overlay, and watermarks.• Speed up video, slow it down, or adjust the frame rate to make the duration match a runtime.

Distributed Encoding• Save time by distributing encoding work among multiple cores and workstations.• Install Compressor on any Mac to activate it as a cluster node for distributed encoding.• Speed up encoding in Final Cut Pro by choosing a Compressor cluster for output processing.• Activate QuickCluster for dynamic configuration of nodes based on available resources.

Editor-Friendly Design Tools• Work fast using a single-window interface with a familiar look and feel.• Customize Final Cut Pro titles, effects, and transitions by opening them in Motion.• Create Smart Motion Templates with simple controls for making changes as you edit.• Build stunning 2D and 3D compositions with more than 1900 Apple-designed elements.• Make adjustments to any parameter during playback and instantly see results.

Easy Animated Text and Titles• Design dramatic text effects with complete control over position, opacity, rotation, and more.• Animate text instantly by choosing from more than 200 text behaviors such as Type On.• Build a credit roll by importing a text file; the Scroll behavior optimizes the speed for you.• Move, scale, or rotate a single character with the Adjust Glyph tool.• Ripple text one character, word, or line at a time with the Sequence Text behavior.

Stunning Effects• Choose from more than 230 behaviors for natural-looking motion without programming. • Enhance your 2D or 3D animations with more than 130 filters using the FxPlug 2 standard.• Track a moving object in a video clip with the point tracking and match move feature.• Create an accurate chroma key in a single step with the new Keying filter.• Apply the Linking behavior to make parameters for one object animate related objects.• Use SmoothCam to eliminate camera jitters, and image stabilization to smooth bumpy shots.

Effortless 3D• Transition from 2D to 3D space by adding a camera or cameras to any 2D project.• Set up realistic shadows that animate dynamically with the movement of cameras and lights.• Turn any shape, video plane, or paint stroke into a reflective surface.• Highlight or de-emphasize various objects by defining a range of focus.• Track objects or groups of objects with the Camera Framing behavior.

Quick, High-Quality Output• Export projects to Apple devices and popular websites such as Vimeo and YouTube.• Choose to output the ProRes 4444 format for uncompressed quality at small file sizes.

Apple today released Final Cut Pro X, a completely redesigned version of its professional video editing software.

Completely redesigned from the ground up, Final Cut Pro adds extraordinary speed, quality, and flexibility to every part of the post-production workflow.

Revolutionary Video Editing• Assemble clips in the Magnetic Timeline without clip collisions or sync problems.• Use Clip Connections to attach B-roll, sound effects, and music to the timeline.• Reduce clutter by grouping clips into a Compound Clip. Easily expand it back to single clips.• Perfect your pacing right in the timeline with the Inline Precision Editor.• Cycle through different shots, graphics, or effects at one place in the timeline with Auditions.

Powerful Media Organization• Import a broad range of formats including native AVCHD, H.264 from DSLRs, and more.• Content Auto-Analysis captures camera metadata and analyzes shots in the background.• Choose analysis options for stabilization, rolling shutter correction, and audio enhancement.• Create and apply custom keywords on the fly as you select ranges in clips.• Smart Collections let you dynamically organize content and find any shot in a few clicks.

Incredible Performance• New 64-bit architecture uses all the RAM in your system for larger projects and richer effects.• The Cocoa foundation makes Final Cut Pro more responsive, interactive, and fun to use.• Final Cut Pro taps the GPU on the graphics card and all the cores in your Mac for speed.• Background processing lets you keep working without interruption.• A ColorSync-managed color pipeline produces accurate, consistent color across applications.

Compelling, Customizable Effects• Preview effects to see how they look with your footage before applying them.• Change the look of titles, transitions, and effects using intuitive controls.• Control effects with precision using a keyframe editor that appears directly in the timeline.• Adjust the Ken Burns effect with simple onscreen arrows for start and end points.

Intuitive Color Grading• Improve the look of any clip with the single-click Balance Color feature.• Apply the Match Color feature to match the looks of two clips shot under different conditions.• Manipulate color, saturation, and exposure with the Color Board.• Fine tune color for a specific color range or area of the screen using keying and masks.

One-Step, Optimized Output• Export projects to Apple devices and websites such as Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook.• Add your content to a set of themed menus, then burn a DVD or Blu-ray disc.• Output files for HTTP live streaming in a single step.